


Eros and Psyche

by Ophelia_of_the_Woods



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:21:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ophelia_of_the_Woods/pseuds/Ophelia_of_the_Woods
Summary: Love is fickle. Its volatile and brings out the worst in a human being.As the god of love, Wilbur spends millennia playing with the hearts of humansWhat happens when he falls in love with one?Or,Its Valentines Day, have an Eros and Psyche Au because we all deserve a good love story
Relationships: GeorgeNotFound/Wilbur Soot
Comments: 19
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this story this afternoon and wrote this whole thing in two hours lmao
> 
> come yell at me on tumblr @rated-m-for-musicals

Love is a fickle thing. 

It's flighty, filled to the brim with volatile emotions and brings out both the best and the worst within a human being.

And still, people cling onto it like it's the last lifeboat on a sinking ship.

As the god of love, Wilbur had spent millennia chasing foolish humans and impetent gods, flinging his arrows upon them and bending their hearts to his will. Time after time, he watched as good men and women fell to the throes of passion, letting them destroy themselves and others in the pursuit of their beloved.

If he wanted to, he could bring Mount Olympus to its knees. He didn’t plan on doing so, but the threat he posed was enough to make most of the other gods fear him. 

His job meant that he wasn’t the most popular god in the pantheon, but that didn’t bother him. He had his mother to keep him company, and that was all he needed. 

\---

They say he was born from the dew off of Aphrodite's back. That he was a shining pearl from her to the prince of a small kingdom facing a large crevice at the face of a mountain. 

They say he was the most beautiful man in all of Greece, more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. 

When George looked in a mirror, he wondered what it was about his face that made suitors flock to their tiny village, that made people fling themselves at his feet and men and women leave their spouses for him. 

For his entire life, he had been told that he was beautiful, but he could not find it in himself to believe those words. In his eyes, he was plain, with nothing of value. He hated the way the people on the street would look at him, sizing him up like a piece of meat. How the whispers about his looks and his physique had followed him from the moment he had grown older. How the people called to him like he was divine. 

He wasn’t, and he did not wish to be. He begged the people to cease with their worships, begged them not to invoke the name of the beloved goddess, for he knew it would only bring him peril. 

But men do not listen when spoken to, and after thousands of rejected wedding gifts and proclamations of affection, his father took to the priests in order to find his son a match.

\---

From the way her eyes twitched, Wilbur knew his mother was upset about something. Her eyes were glowing red, far from the usual sea blue they usually were, a sight that only signified the death of some poor innocent mortal. 

Pulling herself together, she grabbed his quiver and thrust it into his hands, commanding him to go to the mortal world and inflict her revenge upon a mortal who dared call himself more beautiful than her. 

With a sigh, he clicked his heels and descended to the world below, letting his feet rest upon the castle floor. In the moonlight, he could make out a form lying in a bed, the light barely grazing their face. He grabbed a candle and lit it, bringing it close to their face in order to make sure his aim was true. 

The candle glowed red upon the most beautiful man in the world

\---

When his father returned months later from the Oracle, who had proclaimed his son was to marry a monster that even the gods feared, George almost wept for joy. 

At last, an end to this madness. 

He said one last prayer before he jumped, begging forgiveness for himself and for his family. In his mind, he knew it was fruitless; Aphrodite had made this match specifically for him, the Oracle had said, but he still prayed. 

Perhaps she would be merciful. Perhaps she had convinced Hades to sentence him to eternal suffering. Either way, he knew his end was approaching, but allowed himself to embrace it with open arms. As sad as it is to say, it was probably the only thing in his life he had ever had control over. 

He leaned on the back of his heels, and let himself fall into the deep abyss. 

He fell, and fell, and fell, until he felt himself wrapped up in someone's arms. Shocked, he attempted to wriggle out of their grasp, but a smooth voice whispered to him that he was his husband, and that George was being taken to their new home. 

His feet touched the ground, and he could hear the whispers of the wind as invisible beings passed him by. His husband led him through the dark house, showing him the mounds of gold and silver piled in storage rooms, the fine artwork and the collections of stories all saved for him. George was told that he had everything he would ever want in this home. 

Hesitantly, he asked the invisible man if he was the monster she was supposed to marry. The invisible man laughed, and placed his arms around him. His touch was soft and warm, and despite his fear, he felt safe. 

He was married to a monster, but he wasn’t afraid. 

\---

When he was but a young god, Wilbur asked his mother why people fall out of love. Aphrodite laughed at his questions, saying it wasn’t for him to care about what happened to humans after their involvement with them ended. 

Doubt, she answered. Doubt is the great destroyer. 

\---

Loving an invisible husband is difficult, far more difficult than most people assume it to be. George spent every waking moment inside his house, spending his days inside the library with every book ever written to keep him company as his husband left for work. 

After several weeks, the novelty of their marriage began to wear off, and George began to doubt the life he led. Despite all his proclamations to the contrary, he didn’t know if his husband loved him. He hadn’t even told him his name, telling George that it was a secret, that he wasn’t supposed to marry him. 

He told him that he had loved George from afar for weeks. That he loved the way George had never let his beauty turn to vanity, how he kept his faith in spite of everything he had endured. His husband's words made him feel beloved for the first time in his life, but they weren’t enough to keep his stomach from twisting with fear every night. 

For the first time, he doubted a person's affection for him. 

And so one night, he slid out of their bed and retrieved the candle from his nightstand drawer, lit the wick, and let the red glow spill across the sheets. 

His husband lay on his side, facing away from him, chestnut wings folded along his shoulder blades. His face was sharp, curly dark hair framing his closed eyes and high cheekbones. 

He looked unearthly, like a god. 

His eyes flickered to the closet, where a quiver and bow were leaning against it. 

“Wilbur,” he whispered. “My husband is Wilbur.”

\---

When speaking, it's best not to mention a god, as that is the quickest way to get their attention away from everything else and solely on you. 

Wilbur heard his husband mention his name and was startled out of his sleep. His confusion turned to agony as he felt a drop of oil fall onto his shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. 

Husband and husband stared at one another in horror, before Wilbur stood to his full height, towering over the quivering human. For an eternity, they remained still, afraid of the words that would spill out of their mouths. Instead, Wilbur brushed past him, taking hold of his quiver and spreading his wings. 

George begged him to stay, but it was too late. Wilbur screamed at him, at how he had betrayed his trust, and how he had to leave. How he had disobeyed his mother and given up everything to be with him.

It broke his heart to see George's tear stained face, but he turned his back on him, flying alone into the night sky, back to his mother. 

\---

George had been alone before. 

He had spent his entire life alone, away from the prying eyes of suitors and staff, who didn’t love him for who he was. 

But this, this was completely new to him. The home they had shared turned to dust, leaving George standing with nothing but the clothes on his bank in a river. He spent the night attempting to drown himself, but the water refused to let him dunk his head beneath its surface. Perhaps this was Wilburs doing, a final way of ensuring he’d live with his guilt for the rest of his life. And as dawn broke, he wiped his eyes and began the long trek out of the ravine. 

For months, he scoured all of Greece, visiting every one of his temples and shrines, all to no avail. For all intents and purposes, his husband was gone.

And he was all alone. 

\---

What does it take to hurt a god?

Some would say an army, some would say a beast from Tartarus. 

Wilbur would say a drop of oil. Just one drop, enough to light his entire body on fire, enough to leave him bedridden and in need of his mother. 

Aphrodite played the role of a caring mother perfectly. She had mastered the art of hiding all her most vitriolic emotions behind a perfect, finely drawn mask. 

But she couldn’t fool him, and Wilbur knew she had some plan to get revenge on his husband for breaking his heart. He knew she only hated him more.

In his weakened state, he begged her not to hurt him, pleading for her to show his husband mercy. She merely smiled at him, saying she’d consider it, before setting out in search of him, leaving him trapped inside her home.

Alone, he prayed to every god he knew to help George. 

\---

Aphrodite was more beautiful than George had ever imagined. Long flowing red hair, piercing blue eyes and pearlescent skin, she appeared to him, glowing in the light of a full moon. 

He threw himself at her feet, begging for her forgiveness. The goddess laughed at him, an ugly, hag like laugh, before striking him over and over again, until he found it impossible to stand. She grabbed hold of his face, and asked him if he wished to prove himself to her. 

Despite the overwhelming pain, he struggled to his feet, and accepted. 

\---

Three tasks.

Three impossible tasks, and then Wilbur would be able to see George once more. 

It was cruel of his mother to do this, Wilbur thought. The two were family now, and she had nearly killed his husband, knowing how much it would upset him. Wilbur knew Aphrodite would put George through hell, so he hesitantly rose to his feet and stretched his wings.

Pain lit his body aflame, but he flapped the dark wings and set off in search of his husband.

\---

The first task was finished. 

The goddess of the harvest had lent him her ants, and working together, they were able to sort an entire storeroom's worth of grain.

The second task was finished.

The river reeds showed her how to collect wool from the golden rams by using the thorny bushes. 

The third task was finished. 

The king of the gods transformed himself into an eagle and brought him a pitcher filled with water from the river Styx. 

Though his body was sore from his travels and beating, George was giddy with excitement. Soon he would be reunited with Wilbur, and all the pain he had endured these past few months would be gone the moment he felt his warm grasp once again. 

\---

Wilbur nearly lit an entire city on fire when he heard his mothers voice demanding George complete a fourth task. Who was she to make demands of his husband, who had already proven himself to her by competing tasks meant to kill him?

Collect Persephone's beauty from the Underworld. If she wanted George to go to hell, she could have just said that outright.

He thought whether or not to intervene at that moment, but elected not to, knowing his mother would use it as a way of keeping him back at home. As far as she knew, her son was stuck in bed, writhing in agony. 

Completely unable to help his husband complete his final task. 

As George passed the hills guarding the Underworld's entrance, he hid himself in an abandoned tower, calling out to his husband, and demanding he bring drachmas and rice cakes with him. George’s heavy eyebags lifted for a moment as he laughed at the request. 

“Wilbur, is that you?” 

His breath stopped, and the pain in his shoulder receded for a moment, as he stared upon the weary form of his husband. Despite the months of suffering, he still looked just as beautiful as the day he saw him. 

In a lower voice, he described the Underworld's entrance, and bid his husband farewell, beginning the flight back to his mothers house.

\---

The box inside his hands was beautiful. Carved of dark wood and engraved with golden flowers, it sat perfectly in George's hands. Persephone's beauty, contained in one little container.

His fingers trembled over the metal clasp as he ventured back through the Underworld and back into the light above. Like so many heroes before him, his mind became plagued with doubt, filled with the fear that he had been tricked. 

Alone, alone for so long, with nothing to show for it, but a bruised body covered in filth. A thought occurred to him; perhaps Wilbur would take one look at him and turn up his nose, disgusted at his wretched appearance. 

Would Wilbur love him, even like this? 

He let the light of the outside world graze his skin, listening for any sound of his husband's voice. 

Doubt came in and he opened the box. 

\---

The gods are petty. 

They will play with human lives because it amuses them. Because they have more power over them. 

Persephone hadn’t put any beauty in the box. She filled it with pure Stygian Sleep. The gift was intended for Aphrodite after all, it didn’t matter what happened to the messenger. 

The sleep filled Georges lungs and his life began to ebb. 

Blinding white pain flared across Wilbur's body, sending him sprawling to the floor. Aphrodite rushed to his side, asking him what was wrong, but Wilbur pushed past her, taking off in search of his husband. 

George lay in a field of red poppies, the opened box inches away from his hand. Wilbur cradled his unconscious form in his arms, asking the sleeping body what he had done. Tears ran down his cheeks as he pressed his fingers to Georges throat, feeling how with every passing second, his heartbeat grew slower and slower.

He gathered him in his arms and flew straight to Mount Olympus, screaming for Zues and demanding justice. The gods cowered in his wake as he stormed through their halls.

Wilbur was a monster the gods feared, and so they listened to him. 

\---

When George opened his eyes, his body coursed with golden ichor in his veins. Beautiful blue butterflies wings erupted from his back, and the all encompassing pain that had held his body in its clutches was gone. 

He stared in confusion, before he spotted the face of his husband, and embraced him. 

“My love.” Wilbur said. 

George pressed his hand against his face. “My love for all eternity.”

\---

They say love fickle; that it changes with the seasons, and strips the human soul to its bare essentials. 

George and Wilbur would say otherwise. 

The god of love and the god of the human spirit, forever entwined. 

A love story for the ages. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me more time to draw than writing the fic did

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yea, if you were expecting more writing, I'm sorry to let you down, but I gotta promote my art somehow
> 
> come follow me on @rated-m-for-musicals

**Author's Note:**

> Wooo, happy valentines day, i have no one to celebrate this with so i'm gonna celebrate it with the georgebur shippers because we all need someone.  
> heavily ripped off rick riordan's "Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes" because its the reason i got into greek mythology back in the day  
> comment your thoughts please, in desperate need of feedback  
> for any askers, yes I will be updating Hyacinths and Poison this week


End file.
